Dancing on the Greenway

• leader: Alex Cumming
• music: Alex Cumming, Crispin Youngberg, Max Newman



Alex Cumming


Alex Cumming is a traditional singer, accordionist, pianist, dance caller, teacher, and workshop leader, hailing from Somerset, England, now living in Brattleboro, VT. He performs songs and tunes from around the United Kingdom and America with a great depth of knowledge of the tradition. Alex has made his mark on the folk scene with his rhythmic dance-able accordion style, strong voice and his fun and engaging stage presence.
 
Along with solo performances and calling work, Alex is a member of award winning a Capella quartet The Teacups, Fiddle and Accordion duo Alex Cumming & Nicola Beazley, transatlantic trio Bellwether and various high energy dance bands.
 

Crispin Youngberg

Crispin Youngberg grew up dancing at ceilidhs in England, developing a deep appreciation for the dances and the music that goes with them. He plays fiddle, tin whistle, and calls dances. Now living in Western Massachusetts, he is delighted to have the opportunity to share these tunes and dances with you.
 

Max Newman

Max Newman has made a living as a practitioner of traditional music for the past decade and half. He has developed a reputation as a favorite amongst dance musicians and dancers across North America and the UK. With a keen interest in New England music and dance, Max has graced many-a-dance hall playing with luminaries of the style. His primary project is The Stringrays, a veritable supergroup headed by New England fiddle legend Rodney Miller with Stuart Kenney, Sam Bartlett, and Mark “Pokey” Hellenberg.

Folk dances from around the world, from US contra and ragtime to circle dances from Romania, Bolivia, Serbia, and Turkey.

• leader: Andy Taylor-Blenis



Andy Taylor-Blenis


Andy Taylor-Blenis is the artistic director of Mladost Folk Ensemble, the Back Pocket Dancers, Boston Scottish Country Dancers, and the Wheaton College Dance Company. She also teaches college-level modern and jazz dance classes at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA. Andy has taught in our outdoor dance series for over two decades, and she is excited to return this year and teach long-time dancers and newcomers alike.

• leader: Jen Schoonover
• music: Rachel Reeds, Gawain Thomas

• leader: Nils Fredland
• music: Stomp Rocket



Nils Fredland


Nils Fredland has been calling dances with admirable skill and infectious energy since 2000. Respected as a teacher and caller, he is equally comfortable on the largest festival stages, to barns, school auditoriums, community halls, and everything in between. Every group of dancers is different, and Nils is widely known for his ability to quickly read a crowd and adjust his plan to deliver a welcoming, fun, and safe experience for all. Dances are taught with kindness, clarity, and patience. Nils's greatest joy is to support the success of others, and dance calling allows him to do exactly that.
 
Nils lives in Wilder, VT with his two boys. He works as the Volunteer and Bereavement Coordinator for Visiting Nurse and Hospice in White River Junction. He loves living in Vermont!

Stomp Rocket

Stomp Rocket is a New England based trio that delivers high energy foot-stomping dance music for Contra dancing! The band consists of fiddler extraordinaire Dave Langford (The Latter Day Lizards, Big Bandemonium), DADGAD guitar monster and pianist Bethany Waickman (Anadama and Eloise & Co.), and tenor banjo and mandolin wild man Glen Loper (Frigate, Riptide). They’ve played for Contras throughout New England, and at dance weekends from Alaska to Tennessee, and Quebec to Florida.

• leader: Rebecca McGowan
• music: Devin McCabe, Nathan Gourley, Dan Accardi



Rebecca McGowan


Rebecca McGowan performs, choreographs, and teaches traditional Irish dance. With a strong foundation in traditional step dancing, her dancing also draws on the musicality of older-style and sean-nós dance, the grace of soft shoe, and the joy of American and Irish social dance and music traditions. Rebecca is Artistic Director of contemporary step dance company Rising Step, and performs with duet partner Jackie O’Riley and in Kieran Jordan Dance. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, in WGBH’s “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” and at numerous festivals in the Boston and Washington areas.
 
Her work has been supported by a Catalysts residency at the Dance Complex, Somerville Artist Fellowships, the Boston Foundation, NEFA, and local cultural councils. She is a 2020 Finalist in Choreography from the Mass Cultural Council. As a child she began dancing with Clare Sullivan and later studied with Kieran Jordan and the Culkin School. Rebecca has been on the faculty of the Catskills Irish Arts Week, Pinewoods Camp, and CCE MAD Week, and directs a non-competitive step dancing school for all ages in the Boston area.

Devin McCabe

Originally from Milwaukee, Devin McCabe is a fiddler, concertina player, and piano accompanist. His playing is featured on several albums with Milwaukee-based groups Cé and Myserk. Devin is a regular performer at the Boston Celtic Music Festival, Milwaukee Irish Fest, and Celtic Fest Chicago. In addition to his regular presence at Boston-area music sessions, he is a frequent piano accompanist for céilí and set dances in New England.

Nathan Gourley

A former member of Chulrua, the Doon Ceili Band, the Two Tap Trio, and the Máirtín de Cógáin Project, fiddler and guitarist Nathan Gourley started playing music at age five. While living in Minnesota he collaborated with such renowned players as Paddy O’Brien of Chulrua, Daithi Sproule of Altan, Brian Miller of Bua, and Norah Rendell of The Outside Track. Since moving to Boston in 2013, Nathan has also released 'Life Is All Checkered' with Laura Feddersen, and 'The Truckley Howl' with Mairead Hurley and John Blake. He has taught and performed at festivals in Ireland, New Zealand, and throughout the United States on both fiddle and guitar.

Dan Accardi

Dan Accardi hails from Warren, RI, where he began learning fiddle from Jimmy Devine. Instilled early on with a deep appreciation for the regional and personal styles of older Irish musicians, much of his playing and repertoire is built on the close study of field recordings and albums from the first half of the 20th century. His accordion playing is heavily influenced by that of Johnny O'Leary and Tony MacMahon in particular.

Folk dances from around the world, from US contra and ragtime to circle dances from Romania, Bolivia, Serbia, and Turkey.

• leaders: Jonathan Young, Andy Taylor-Blenis

Andy Taylor-Blenis

Andy Taylor-Blenis is the artistic director of Mladost Folk Ensemble, the Back Pocket Dancers, Boston Scottish Country Dancers, and the Wheaton College Dance Company. She also teaches college-level modern and jazz dance classes at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA. Andy has taught in our outdoor dance series for over two decades, and she is excited to return this year and teach long-time dancers and newcomers alike.

Jonathan Young

Jonathan Young has been teaching international folk dancing for over 40 years, and singing traditional music from Bulgaria for over 30 years. He is currently serving as President of the New England Folk Festival Association, and is a past board member of the Folk Arts Center of New England. By day he is part of a team providing open access to millions of scientific research papers.

• leaders: Origins Folkloric Dance Company, Lionesses El Atlas, Sabaya, and Alwan Dance Ensemble



Origins Folkloric Dance Company


Origins Folkloric Dance Company is a professional ensemble dedicated to performing ethnic dances from the Middle East and North Africa. The troupe officially formed in September 2011, after teaming up at Katia of Boston's Middle-East Dance retreats to perform Katia's folkloric dances.
 
In addition to staging three productions of their own, the troupe has performed at the New England Folk Festival, Karim Nagi's Farewell Show, Hudson River Shakespeare's production of "Cleopatra", Rakassah East, Cairo Cabaret, and many regional workshop shows and haflas.
 
Company members have received training from many leading scholars and performers of folkloric dance, including Katia of Boston, Morwenna Assaf, Sahra Saeeda, Mahmoud Reda, Ibrahim Farrah, Karim Nagi, Reyhan, and Kay Hardy Campbell.

• leader: Wendy Graham
• music: Eric Boodman & Sam Zakon-Anderson



Wendy Graham


Wendy Graham (Durango, Colorado) is a “dance maniac.” Her passion for music, song and dance caught fire on a 1991 Danish-American Exchange (DAE) youth dance tour to Denmark led by Barbara Harding. Today, Wendy leads English and American community folk dances and teaches social couples dance across the country and around the world. She proudly served on the boards of the Lloyd Shaw Foundation and the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS), and the CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award committee. She loves building community and sharing the joy of music, song and dance with people of all ages and abilities.
 

Eric Boodman

Eric Boodman fell in love with Québécois fiddle music while growing up in Montreal. He's delved into its history as a journalist and essayist for publications like The New York Times Magazine, and has brought his intricate fiddling, singing, and foot percussion to concert halls and dances on both sides of the Atlantic. Since 2015, he's been a joyful presence on the New England trad scene, playing with the party-band Calico and the Scandinavian-influenced trio Triga, among many others.
 

Sam Zakon-Anderson

Sam Zakon-Anderson was raised on music and dance. From sleeping beneath the piano at Peterborough contra dance as a toddler, his journey has unfolded, leading him to play for dances nationwide for the past decade. Sam's groove-based piano playing is an unmistakable force on the floor, and with his infectious positivity and good humor, he brings a unique lively energy to the stage.